


The Curious Case of Haiba Lev

by battoff



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Genderfluid Character, Non-binary character, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-02 11:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10217141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/battoff/pseuds/battoff
Summary: "Go ahead and try it," Lev says to me so I do."'Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.'" And there's a twinkle in Lev's eyes that tells me this is true.





	1. The One With the Bow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work focuses on the beginning of Lev and Inuoka's friendship as well as Inuoka's view on it. Keep in mind that Lev is genderfluid but hasn't told anyone on the team yet and Inuoka is an out trans guy (at least to the team).

I feel a certain way about Haiba Lev. He took my position as a starter simply because he's taller and has a stronger spike than me. He didn't even play volleyball before joining the team. For that I should dislike him or, at least, feel heated whenever he does anything. Although, he treats me the same as everyone else if I don't include the snarky quips we throw at each other but even those are quite lackluster on his part. The way he acts strikes me curious just as much as my own emotions, makes me want to learn more about our _“future ace.”_

 

…

 

The first time my curiosity is piqued happens during practice when Yaku does what he always does; concerns himself over everyone else when something might inhibit their volleyball coordination. “Lev?” His eyebrows are scrunched up, hands on his hips, and head cocked. He's in lecturing mode. “Your hair's getting pretty long. Just look at your bangs! If they grow anymore, they'll cover your eyes and make you even shittier at receives. Are you getting a haircut soon?”

Lev gives a tiny flinch that I probably wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking at his hair. _It is getting pretty long._ His fingers fiddle with his bangs for a moment.

“I haven't mentioned it to my mom yet but—”

“No but’s. You need to be in top form if you ever plan on taking after Taketora as ace,” Yaku says with a tone of finality that trumps anything Lev could've possibly responded with. Yaku only turns around to practice receives when Lev gives a tiny nod of confirmation.

As soon as he's gone, however, Lev’s shoulders slump by the slightest margin. He huffs something but quickly gets back to practice. Something about his reaction sticks with me the rest of day, though, and leaves me with an itch.

 

…

 

I think it's because of this itch that I force myself to find Lev before he joins the rest of the team for morning practice the next day. He's walking towards the clubroom, late as always. He's so late that I mentally berate myself for leaving in the middle of practice just to talk to him. “Lev!” I jog over to him once he's stopped. He's got a grin on his face but it's more forced than anything else. I pull out a piece of cardboard from my jacket pocket, offering it to him. “Here. They're to, uh, keep your hair out of your face,” I tell him as he stares at the barrettes in my hand. I smile brightly to make it less weird.

Despite the fact that we're both first-years, we don't talk outside of volleyball. I talk more with Shibayama if I'm being honest. But then Lev’s face does this small smile that looks incredibly different compared to his normal grins. “Thanks Inuoka-kun.” And he takes the barrettes before he's off.

Seeing Lev grin widely as he tells Yaku that, no, he will not be getting a haircut soon feels infinitely better when his bangs are pushed away from his face with fabric barrettes that have little patterns on them. I quickly decide that the one with the bow is my favorite.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [These](http://www.claires.com/us/products/patterned-trendy-hairclips-05808) are clips that Inuoka bought for Lev. By the way, I wrote almost all the chapters for this work without realizing that Inuoka and Lev are apparently rivals. That's why the first little paragraph by itself may read a bit odd. I just felt like that should be mentioned at least once.


	2. Dinner With the Giants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's your daily reminder that this work focuses on the beginning of Lev and Inuoka's friendship as well as Inuoka's view on it. Keep in mind that Lev is genderfluid but hasn't told anyone on the team yet and Inuoka is an out trans guy (at least to the team). 
> 
> As the chapters progress you'll start to see Inuoka hanging out with or thinking about Lev more often. Enjoy comrades.

The second time something similar happens is when Lev comes into afternoon practice with his hands doodled on. There's several different colors of ink that most likely can't be used in school. Lev doesn't seem to mind, though, since he has a happy face on. He looks like he's ready to take on the world. And when he moves so much that his shirt shows more skin than usual, I try not to stare too much at the temporary tattoos of various cartoon characters scattered across him.

 

…

 

The third time I notice something about Lev is the first time I go over his house. Coincidentally, I'm not invited there. The only reason I knock on his door after a particularly rigorous practice is because he forgot his backpack in his exhaustion. He's the one who opens the door with a fresh face like he didn't exercise for several hours not even half an hour before. He's wearing a soft sweater that says something in English I can't understand and tights.

There are a million things I could say but the one thing that gets past my mouth is, “Your legs look nice in tights.” Which shocks a laugh out of Lev. A blush burns my face as he graciously invites me in for dinner with his family. “So that's how I get free food with you? All I gotta do is compliment you and I'm in?”

“Pretty much.” He shrugs, shuffling his way into the dining room. “Mama, Papa, I've brought a guest!” I quickly slip off my shoes to join them. “This is Inuoka-kun. He's one of the other first-years on my volleyball team. Inuoka-kun, this is my mother, father, and older sister, Alisa.” He hasn't even finished the introductions before he's sitting next to Alisa at the dinner table.

I stand there, trying not to appear as awkward as I feel. It fails horrendously when Alisa punches Lev softly in the arm. “Lyovochka! Don't be rude to our guest. You have to seat him before yourself. Here, Inuoka-kun, sit down across from us. I promise Lev won't be mean to you anymore.”

Her smile is almost the same as Lev’s. In fact, she just looks like an older Lev with longer hair. “Oh, thank you,” I say as I scramble for the seat. Lev’s parents chuckle, so do Alisa and Lev, but I don't blame them. I _am_ making quite the fool of myself.

 

…

 

After dinner, Lev invites me up to his room to check out his reading selection. “I have a bunch of cool stuff to read if you want to borrow any.” The way he sounds so excited makes me think he has a lot of comic books. Then he opens his bedroom door and all I see are rows upon rows of books on bookshelves that cover nearly every inch of wall. There are paperback, hardcover, leather-bound, ones that look so worn that they simply don't have a cover. Books are even stacked neatly on a desk Lev’s tucked into the corner of his room. “Sit anywhere you like,” he says as he makes his way to his closet to put away his shoes.

I look around his room to find the least intimidating item to sit on. There's something weird about finding Lev intimidating. Maybe because even though Lev is taller and stronger than me, he was never threatening. Maybe because up until an hour ago I had assumed his room was a mess like every other person on the volleyball team including me. But now I'm in his room where his main source of entertainment isn't manga but something titled _David and Goliath_. Now I see that he has numerous books in English with titles I can't recognize unless they're biblical names that I've seen on the internet. Not to mention his bed is made like he's never slept in it. There's not a speck of dust in sight nor is there anything on the floor to trip on. Lev is nothing like I imagined.

But then something catches my eye. Barrettes are lined up perfectly on Lev’s desk in front of the books. The familiarity calms me some so I decide to sit in his swivel chair that looks like it belongs in a doctor's office. “I didn't know you liked books so much.” I pick up one of the novels close to me. “Much less that you knew English.”

“That's because you never asked me.” He grabs the book from my hands and it takes me a second to realize he has reading glasses on. Lev wears reading glasses.

“I bet no one else would guess that this is what you're actually like. You act completely different compared to when you're playing volleyball.”

He looks over the rim of his glasses at me before closing his book. “ _‘Giants are not what we think they are.’_ ” At my questioning stare, he smiles lopsidedly. “How I act around different people doesn't change who I am. I'm still Lev. I'm just not who you thought I was.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably mention that I've read the majority of _David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants_ and that's why I'm quoting Malcolm Gladwell whenever Lev talks about books. My literary knowledge extends to statistics books and mythology. I'm honestly surprised that I didn't mention anything about Greek or Roman mythology. Maybe in the next work with these two. Also, the shirt Lev was wearing says _Woof_ and was a gift from Kyoutani because I headcanon that they're friends (don't take it away from me, they can be nerds about books together). Similarly, Kyoutani has a shirt with _Meow_ on it. Can you tell I have way too much fun with this?


	3. You Know What They Say About Bad Habits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the shorter chapters so I'm gonna upload another chapter right after this one.

I think it's after I realize that Lev is a giant book nerd that I gain a bad habit.

Everyday except for Sunday I wake up to get ready for morning practice. I shower, get dressed, eat, and grab my gym and school bag except on Saturdays where I only grab my gym bag. Each day my bag is weighed down slightly by something different. Each day Lev’s face lights up like the first time. It makes my heart do concerning things. I ignore it because Lev is worth it. He always shows his appreciation by rambling about one of his favorite novels. He talks mainly about English ones just so he can quote them and then laugh at the confused faces I make when I can't understand him. Sometimes he talks about Japanese poetry books that he's apparently fond of. Every so often one of the others hear Lev rambling. They don't say anything about it—they assume he doesn't know what he's talking about.

It's one of these intermediate days that I learn that Lev wants to major in literature. He tells me excitedly over lunch. I would've been surprised that I even took in what he was saying when I was so distracted by the small rings he was wearing but I've long since noticed that I soak up any information that Lev gives me, especially if it's about him.

At practice he offers me his drink sometimes but I always politely decline ever since the first time I said yes and found out it was lemon water. His water bottle is opaque, covered in stickers, and a master at disguising thin lemon slices that probably outweigh the water. I make it a habit of packing an extra bottle of water with lemon slices. It takes a while for me to get it just the way Lev likes it but it's worth it when he sings high praise, commenting loudly about how nice I am.

I'm afraid I've made a habit of spoiling Lev.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inuoka can't understand that he just has a huge crush on Lev and that's funny to me. He's just fucking oblivious to some things.


	4. Two Minutes of Piss, A Lifetime of Affection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This mentions piss for not even five seconds but I couldn't come up with a better title. Enjoy the short-lived piss mention.

No one really notices how long Lev’s hair gets until he accidentally slams into the net. Yaku is on the scene not even seconds after Lev lands on his back. “Lev, you behemoth! This is why I told you to cut your hair. To avoid accidents that happen when hair obscures your vision. You hair better be cut by tomorrow or, by God, I will take scissors to it myself.” He doesn't even ask for an affirmative before he's walking away.

I want to say something to Lev, something that can take his mind off of cutting his hair, but then when I go to offer him my hand I see a corner of his lips tremble with the force of not going down. It breaks my heart and makes me wanna fight Yaku. I don't. That'd make things worse. So I do the only thing I know how.

 

…

 

Lev’s eyes widen some at the stuff I've set out on his bed. “I,” he pauses for a moment, “I left for, like, two minutes to pee.” I roll my eyes before taking his hand to drag him over. “You didn't have to do this—”

“Shuddup Lev. I do this all the time. Just not all at once.” He picks up a headband, placing it on his head in the worst possible way. “That's not how you do it. Here, let me.” I fix the headband so that it holds back Lev’s hair. My hands flatten flyaway hairs and I think this is the moment I became hyperaware of how curly the ends of his hair is. Suddenly his hair curls against the headband in the cutest way that I have to look away. Except I look into his eyes, instead, which are wide and his entire expression is soft. I can't handle it.

I snap back to reality when Lev takes my hand in his to pull it away from the headband. He moves it down to cup his cheek. My heart is beating a mile a minute, I think Alisa might hear it from where she's watching t.v. downstairs. “Inuoka-kun?” I mean to say something back but I just choke on my own breath. He laughs at that. His laugh is loud and interrupted every other breath by a snort and it suits Lev. “I don't know when, but you've become a dear friend of mine.”

“Me too,” I say immediately. It gets me another laugh. Then his eyes don't meet mine, they're focused on the headbands and hair ties I've laid out on his bed. “Lev? Is something the matter? I can get you different stuff if you want—”

“That's not at all what I'm thinking about. I just,” he starts. His hand against mine begins to sweat. I don't remove mine, though. “I shouldn't be so worried about telling you because Kuroo-san is just like me.” I wait for Lev to gather himself as he squeezes his eyes shut. “I'm genderfluid, Inuoka-kun.”

I'm not particularly surprised considering everything but Lev’s hand is clammy. His shoulders are tense and he looks ready to bolt. So I smile, tell him, “I'm glad you told me Lev.” That seems to get him. His eyes widen like they were before. Then he's on me, hugging me tightly. I simply hug him back because he's soft and smells nice and I'm afraid he might tease me if he sees my flushed face.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lev has finally told Inuoka. I wanted to write a non-binary character outing themself without being outed by someone seeing them change. The second way isn't them outing themself on purpose unless they say, "Change with me." I'll never out a trans or non-binary character in my works by having someone walk in on them changing. Anyway's, with that in mind, Inuoka is such a dork who's in too deep.


	5. In Too Deep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is entirely self-indulgent. Like, so little people read it but I couldn't care less. I'm having a dandy old time. Enjoy my mindless enjoyment, comrades.

Lev confesses that they don't mind people using _he_ for them but they much prefer anything else. They start using the headbands during practice and the barrettes for the rest of the day. They also put their hair up with the colorful ties I gave them. Their hair brushes their shoulders now. We measured that it grows half an inch every month. Soon it will reach the tops of their shoulder blades and Lev doesn't show any sign of giving up their long hair.

We spend a lot of our time together these days. Sometimes, after school, we’ll hang out in Lev’s room and they'll read to me. I enjoy it even when I don't understand what they're saying. It's because of these reading sessions that I learn that they know not only Japanese and English but Latin as well as French. I never would've guessed I'd have a giant read to me diaries from Marie Antoinette’s lady in waiting in perfect French.

“I want to learn Russian so I can read the original Communist Manifesto. I don't want anything to be lost in the translation,” they say. It doesn't surprise me. Last week they told me the story of how they learned enough Hebrew when they were in elementary school to read the Bible so that they didn't have to deal with translation errors.

It’s with much interest that I learn more about Haiba Lev and their fascination with languages.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Lev's literary goals are mine. I'm not gonna lie. I'm also going to upload another chapter later in the day since this one was short.


	6. Let's Get Physical

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a shot of water every time Inuoka says Lev to stay hydrated, comrades.

I should have guessed that at some point someone would say something about Lev that would make me fight back. I should have guessed the moment I wanted to physically fight Yaku when he told Lev to cut their hair or he'd do it himself. I really should have expected a confrontation but I'm still surprised at the immediate anger boiling in my stomach when Yamamoto picks up a thick, leather-bound book. The only reason I know its title is because Lev told me.

“Hey, who left this shit lying around?” He waves it around like it isn't a valuable possession to Lev. Like it's not one of their favorite books. From the feeling of its cover to the smell of its pages to its font type. “I can't even tell what it says. What the hell?”

Lev steps forward, a sheepish look on their face. “That's mine, sorry. I must've taken it out of my bag when I went to grab a headband.” They reach for it only to have it pulled away. “Yamamoto-san?”

His face is pinched into a skeptical expression. “Is this really yours, Lev? It doesn't have pictures.”

“That's because it's not a visual novel. And I can assure you it's definitely mine,” they say as they snatch the book. Their hands cradle it so gently my heart breaks a little. I know how much it bothers Lev when they don't give people permission to touch their books. They move it so that everyone in the club room can see the inside of the cover. “See? _Property of Haiba Lev._ ”

Yamamoto scratches his head curiously but just shrugs. Yaku looks at Lev with a question in his eyes. “What even is that? A book in a nerd language of yours, Lev?” He chuckles in a way that shows he means no harm in what he says but it's still unnerving.

My teeth are gritting together as I try to remain calm. “It's Hebrew, Yaku-san,” I say.

“Inuoka-kun—”

“And how do you know this, Inuoka?” Yaku raises an eyebrow at me.

Eyes that weren't already focused on us sure are now. They give my skin an itch that makes me want to grab Lev’s hand to run. I don't. My hands clench, unclench, repeat. “Lev told me.” When Yaku opens his mouth to respond, I immediately cut him off. “Lev learned enough Hebrew to read the original version of the Bible. Just for the fun of it. Yeah, that's right. Lev reads the Bible for _fun_. That's not all—”

“Inuoka—”

“Lev also reads books on statistics in English and French journals and mythology in Latin and I'm willing to bet anything that Lev is as smart as—no, _smarter_ than—every single person in here including myself. This is such an undeniable fact that I won't stand to have you all treat our _teammate_ like shit just because Lev doesn't talk about books all the time or the economic crises of countries with every other person. Even if Lev didn't know all this, that gives you no excuse to—”

A clammy hand grabs mine, clutching it like a lifeline. “Inuoka-kun, let's leave.” One backwards glance at their face tells me I've said enough.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inuoka gets so defensive over Lev, it's cute. I also know that Inuoka, like every other character in Haikyuu!!, is oblivious about his feelings unless whatever he's feeling is anger. So guess who's not going to figure his crush out without a hint? :^)


	7. There's Trust In Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I may have forgotten to mention in the last chapter that the next one (a.k.a. this one) was going to be the last chapter. Whoops. Y'all get no fair warnings, my bad. But this _is_ the last chapter of this work. Pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate, comrades, because it's finally over!

We don't talk on the way to Lev’s house nor do we let go of each other's hands. We don't even let go when we get there and have to take off our shoes. Lev leads me up the familiar path to their room. They close the door by pressing me against it. They don't force me, more like they gently corral me against it so they can lean on me entirely. They have to bend over quite a bit but that doesn't stop them. They just rest their head against my shoulder, arms wrapping around my waist. I don't know what to do with my hands at first. Eventually I decide to grab at the back of their shirt with one hand, the other one running through their hair. This position feels exceptionally intimate. It's the most we've touched ever since we started being friends.

My throat constricts when I hear a sob. Actually, I feel more than hear it. Lev’s stuttering breath fans against my neck as their tears wet my skin. Their arms tighten almost uncomfortably around me. The entire thing is terribly intimate compared to everything else we've done. It's also incredibly awkward but I push those feelings down to comfort Lev.

Lev comes first in this complete mess of emotions.

 

…

 

Somehow we end up lying facing each other on Lev’s bed with Lev’s back to a majority of their books. They still huddle close to me, legs tangling, arms holding me. Their face is pressed against my stomach since I'm not comfortable enough to let them lay against my chest especially after we've changed into our pajamas. Their breath feels warm against the skin of my abdomen even through my shirt.

Lev shifts some to give them easier access to the air. “This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.” At that I tense as my heart sinks. They pinch my side. “Not _this_. After practice. I learned all the stuff I did because I was motivated by the lack of alienation I thought I'd experience. No one would leave me out of anything if I was smart enough to talk to them. So I threw myself into impressive studies but I quickly learned that my alienation wasn't because of my intelligence. No, all it had to do with was me. I was just unappealing. I was a freak because I didn't smile or speak until years after therapy. I was a freak because I was overwhelmingly larger than every other kid in school. And I thought I finally brought myself past this because I _know_ my differences don't make me an oddity but then the others reject me since I'm too slow and I don't understand social cues.” Their fingers dig into my skin, nails biting the top layer. I let it happen, all the while rubbing what I can reach of their back. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't apologize. I'm glad you told me.” My other hand lightly scratches at their skull in a way that makes them sigh contentedly. “I know for a fact that you're loved by our team, Lev, even if they can sometimes be jerks. Now, that doesn't excuse what they did. I'll talk some sense into them, though, so don't worry but you also need to open up to the others. I know it's going to be difficult but you have all the time in the world and me to stand by your side every step of the way.”

Lev takes in a shaky breath and nods. “You know, Inuoka-kun, you must know a lot of facts if the way you've been speaking all day is any indication.”

I laugh, so does Lev. It's full of snorts and hushed pleas to _be quiet or else Alisa-san will hear_. By the end of it we're breathless, they're nearly asleep. My fingers comb through their hair. It's starting to pass their shoulder blades. “If it makes you feel any better, I think you're pretty great.”

And if Lev’s breath hitches as something wet hits my shirt, well, then, I don't mention it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thing at the end was tears. Just saying in case any of you thought differently. Anyways, I was going to include Lev coming out to the entire team at the end but I kind of feel like this focuses mainly on Inuoka and Lev’s friendship and to throw in Lev’s dynamics with the others would sorta ruin the ending. But, hey! That wraps this up. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it and maybe I'll write another work where Lev comes out to the team and Inuoka gets his shit together (I already am). But until then, my comrades, read the only other work I have posted here. 
> 
> Bye ;^)


End file.
